This project focuses on the role of free clinics as an essential part of the healthcare “safety net” that serves those without sufficient healthcare coverage and how free clinics have the potential to provide better mental health care for Hispanic patients. My research draws from both my experience as a Spanish-English translator and public health […]
B15: Does Gender Moderate the Relation Between Parasympathetic Regulation and Empathic Behaviors
The area of research that I have focused on in this study pertains to psychology and is specifically about children’s socioemotional development. Participants were 100 children (44 girls, 56 boys) and their mothers participating in an ongoing longitudinal study, with a visit at age four and age five. To measure child empathy coders scored overall […]
B13: Effects of Morphine Withdrawal on FMOR Mice
Due to problems caused by the opioid crisis in the United States, it is necessary to find solutions for both prevention and treatment of opioid abuse. This study looks at manipulation of the FoxP2 gene in regards to changes in withdrawal symptoms with the opiate morphine. This was done by removing the mu-opioid receptors from […]
B12: How Difficulty With Accessing Healthy Foods in Shelters Contributes to Diabetes Among Homeless Adults
As the homeless population continues to increase, it is important that we pay attention to how people are being affected by certain illnesses, such as diabetes. During my time volunteering at the Refuge of Hope shelter for homeless men in Canton, Ohio, it was very apparent that the homeless population is getting hit hard by […]
B10: Behavioral Effects of N,N,N-Trimethyltryptamine and Possible Receptor Mechanisms
In the McMurray Lab, we study the behavioral and molecular effects of hallucinogenic drugs on serotonergic systems, namely the 5-HT2a receptor. Common antipsychotic drugs and hallucinogens used for mental health treatment are known to bind to the 5-HT2a receptor, and activation of this receptor is believed to lead to a downstream improvement of behavioral and […]
B09: Indicators of Hepatic and Renal Health after Psychedelic Treatment in Rats
Clinical trials on the use of psilocybin (PSL) to treat depression are promising, but still in preliminary stages. Additionionally, they are confounded by the presence of hallucinations, which may not be necessary for its clinical effectiveness, but create challenges when designing experiments. Results from our lab have also indicated potential antidepressant efficacy for a number […]
B07: Choice Modeling Framework: Snack Food Decisions Among College Students
Humans face many choices in healthy living with food choices being vital in a healthy diet. Decision makers must consider a variety of attributes and options when deciding. We investigated college students’ preferences for 16 common snack foods; the snacks ranged in health, taste, convivence, familiarity, and satiation. We looked at two 50/50 “grab bag” […]
B05: The Impact of Belonging to Minority-Based Organizations on Minority Stress Experiences in College
Minoritized students are exposed to additional unique stressors due to the systematic devaluation of their identities in the broader climate. Indeed, students holding minoritized identities (vs. those who do not) report higher levels of mental health concerns. Institutions of higher education often provide a range of resources to support students in their individual growth. One […]
B02: Improving Predictive Power with Pre-Tuned Principal Component Regression: A Case Study
Linear regression is a commonly used approach to discovering associations between variables in various fields. Least squares method is a prominent approach to estimating unknown regression coefficients, with ordinary least square (OLS) estimates being the best linear unbiased estimate (BLUE). The existence of the inverse of the gram matrix in OLS is essential for obtaining […]
B11: Sense of Belonging in Undergraduate Students at Miami
This study, conducted by the HASS scholars program, focuses on students’ sense of belonging in university throughout four years. To understand what affects this, we broke it down into possible factors. We sent a survey with our questions through social media to students at Miami University of Oxford, Ohio and received 50 responses. The survey […]